Why is everybody so upset about Sasha?

Three hours ago news broke that a UK couple who had been raising their child as gender-neutral (under the watchful eye of the Daily Mail and other British tabloids) has begun identifying their child, Sasha, as “he” in order to help him transition to primary school. Sasha is five-years-old.

His parents, Beck Laxton, 46, and Kieran Cooper, 44, stirred up outrage and accusations that they were “turning their child into a freak,” by raising Sasha without the gender binary until age five, according to the Daily Mail.

“I wanted to avoid all that stereotyping,” Miss Laxton explained to the tabloid about her decision. “Stereotypes seem fundamentally stupid. Why would you want to slot people into boxes?”

“Gender affects what children wear and what they can play with, and that shapes the kind of person they become. I start to get cross with it if it skews their potential,” she continued.

Major media sources are literally in an uproar tonight over the news of the supposed “gender reveal.” Articles are quoting a bevy of doctors and psychologists who disagree with the idea of gender-neutral parenting, calling it “misguided” and “unfortunate.” Sasha’s story in particular has spawned several nasty YouTube videos from dissenters. Some that nearly reduced Wild Gender editors to tears (like the one below).

The fear of gender-non-confromity is loud in all these voices. Why is everybody so scared? Particularly this cisman in a Baltimore Ravens jersey…

About the Author

Wild Gender is an online magazine and creative hub born out of gratitude for the gift of full expression. We are dedicated to creative practices that celebrate gender fluidity, identity and expression. Wild Gender prioritizes visual art, creative writing, and journalistic work by trans/gender-variant individuals who have never before been published in a public venue. Run entirely by volunteers,we are always in search of writers, thinkers, and creators hoping to participate in our growing community.

3 Responses to Why is everybody so upset about Sasha?

this guy is talking from fear…cuz he is scard, and therefore ignorant! wake up to the fact that our spirits dont have gender…everyone will express themselves how they see themselves whether you like it or not…!!!

It is much easier to fear and hate than to learn and love. Many people have a preconceived notion of what other people are supposed to be and anything that doesn’t fit that expectation causes them to froth at the mouth. Sad, very sad.

I’m against how the parents dealt with Sasha myself. It’s one thing to let the kid do whatever he wants to. It’s another to force him to do what the parents want him to. Sasha’s allowed to play with dolls and wear sparkly outfits but “manly things” are a no go? That’s horrible. It’s the same as parents who only allow their kids to do things that they perceive as the usual for their gender. These parents are just using their poor kid in a social experiment. If he wants to dress up in a pink swimsuit, fine, let him do it. But if he wants to play with a toy gun, they shouldn’t be stopping him. And making him wear a female school blouse when they want to adjust him for school? What were they thinking? The poor kid is going to end up getting bullied just because his parents wanted to try being different. I hope Sasha doesn’t run into any trouble just because of his parents’ irresponsibility.

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